The Older Years
by Annika Day
Summary: Ash has grown up to be a fine young man. He has accomplished his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. He has gotten close to friends and has a great job. What more can he ask for? But life isn't as simple as it seems.
1. A New Taste of Life

RING! RING! The alarm clock was ringing like crazy.

Ash groaned, swore under his breath, and then got up wearing nothing but his boxers.

He changed into a blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. He got ready for the mornings and then headed downstairs where an empty kitchen awaited him.

"Mom?" he called aloud, before realizing what he just said.

Just a few days ago, his mother had decided to move in with her father. He would miss her, but she was getting lonely with him out all day with a job.

His cell phone played Misty's Song, which Misty had written for him to express her feelings a year ago. It was given to him for his birthday, and from then on they had started dating.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver.

"Hi Ash! It's Misty. I was wondering if you were free this afternoon."

"This afternoon? Hmm… Let's see. I have to be at the gym this morning, but I suppose I can get the gym closed for the afternoon. Sound good?" Ash asked.

Ever since Giovanni had been arrested after then police found out about him leading Team Rocket and his creating Mewtwo for evil uses, the Viridian City Gym was deserted. Then, not long ago, Ash volunteered to take his place after completing his dream of being a Pokemon Master. It was quickly agreed to, as many of the Pokemon League officials wanted a replacement as well as a good battler. Not only that, but Ash was the Kanto Region Champion.

"That's great! Thanks, Ash. Meet me at the Cerulean Gym at 1 o'clock."

"Okay, bye Misty!" Ash clicked the "Hang Up" button and slipped his iPhone 4 into his pocket.

He brewed a cup of coffee and ate a few pancakes. He took along his coffee as he called out and climbed upon his Latios. It cheered something in its own language while he petted it and fed it some pokemon food Brock had so generously provided him with.

Ash stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle. In response, a bright yellow pocket monster came dashing over to where he was.

"Hey buddy!" Ash laughed as he held out a palm of pokemon food and Pikachu gobbled it up hungrily.

"Pika, pika pika chu!" exclaimed Pikachu.

Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder and Latios took off.

"Wow, it's nice up here!" commented Ash as he flew at 90 miles per hour.

"Pika, pika pika pika chu!" Pikachu agreed.

Just ten minutes later, Ash was standing in front of the Viridian City Gym with Latios and its pokeball in his hand and Pikachu on his shoulder. He took out a Pikachu key from his pocket and stuck it in the keyhole.

As the door creaked open, beams of sunlight filled the room. Ash opened one door which led to an outdoor garden.

"Mega! Mega mega, meganium!" Ash's Meganium shouted with pure delight and joy.

"Drago! Drag!" Dragonite roared.

"Blas…" Blastoise stepped over to where ash was now standing, rubbing against him in affection.

"Infer! Infer! Nape!" Infernape hollered from the edge of the garden.

"Hey guys!" Ash exclaimed, laughing as Meganium tackled him to the ground.

"Mega!" Meganium squealed triumphantly.

"Yeah, I missed you too, Meganium," Ash chuckled.

A noise that sounded like a Pikachu sounded from the entrance.

"Whew, we have a challenger! Return guys!" Ash held up some pokeballs and recalled all of his pokemon. Pikachu remained on his shoulder, Pikachu's pokeball hanging on his neck on a string. Ash stood as the automatic doors opened and a figure stood at the entrance. It was a young girl who was nervously lingering around the doors.

"Welcome," Ash murmured mysteriously.

The girl jumped. Her long brown ponytail bounced as she did, her ocean blue eyes filled with anxiety.

"Hi," she replied, her voice barely a squeak.

"Are you a challenger?" asked Ash.

"Yeah," she answered, looking down at her feet.

After a moment of hesitation, she stepped onto the challenger's platform.

"Whoa!" The girl was lifted off the ground as the platform rose and a fence was placed around her.

"Caught you off guard?"

The girl nodded. "My friend who visited here a while ago never said anything about this."

"That's because I just put it in," Ash replied calmly.

"Oh."

A referee stepped out of a doorway as Ash was lifted into the air.

"This will be a one on one battle between the Viridian City Gym Leader and the challenger Dana Martin. Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions. The battle is over when all three pokemon of one trainer have fainted. Let the battle begin!" the referee announced, winking at Ash.

Ash smiled confidently back at the referee, Tyler. He had met him a while ago and Tyler had always wanted work in a public pokemon service. He had volunteered as Ash's referee.

"Come on out, Wartortle!" Dana yelled.

"War! War tortle war! Tort tortle war!" Wartortle boasted, smirking.

Ash grinned. "Come on out, Meganium!" he countered.

"Mega!"

"Well, will you have the honor of starting?" Ash asked politely.

"Why yes," Dana answered neutrally. "Wartortle, Hydro Pump!"

Jets of water came shooting out of Wartortle's shell as his head, legs, and tails were drawn into its shell.

"Dodge."

"Mega, mega!" Meganium said as it dodged.

"Alright Meganium, use Magical Leaf!"

"Withdraw, Wartortle! Then use Bubblebeam!"

"Counter with Razor Leaf to pop all the bubbles and then use Vine Whip!"

Vines came out of Meganium's neck and grabbed Wartortle's waist. It picked it up ten feet up into the air and then forcefully slammed it into the ground.

"Wartortle is unable to battle! Meganium is the winner!" Tyler proclaimed.

"Return, Wartortle. You did well," Dana whispered as she held up a red and white pokeball. "Let's go, Charizard!"

"Char!"

"Charizard, use Ember!"

"Char!"

Meganium was blasted in the side with the flames but recovered quickly.

"Leaf Blade!"

"Dodge it, Charizard! Then use Seismic Toss followed by Flare Blitz!"

Charizard flew into the air and picked up Meganium. It circled around in the air and then slammed Meganium into the ground. To finish Meganium off, it used a violent Flare Blitz.

"Meganium is unable to battle. Charizard wins!"

"Good job Meganium, take a good rest. Latios, I choose you!"

"Latios!"

"Okay Latios, start with Dragon Breath!"

Charizard took a blow to the chest.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!"

"Latios, break the flame with Dragon Pulse!"

The two attacks were cut off by each other.

"Okay Latios, finish it up with Aerial Ace followed by Thunder!"

"La…ti…os!"

"Charizard….."

"Charizard is unable to battle! Latios is the winner!"

"Good job Charizard, you were awesome. Return," murmured Dana with a sympathetic voice.

"Come out, Skitty."

"Skit! Skitty skit!"

"Alright Latios, let's kick it up with Earthquake!"

"Latios!"

The ground shook mightily as Latios hit the ground.

"Skitty!" Skitty screeched as it bounced along the floor.

"Latios, Waterfall!"

"Latios!"

"Skitty!" Skitty looked dizzy, spun around, and then fell to the ground.

"Skitty is unable to battle. Latios is the winner! And the victory goes to Gym Leader Ash Ketchum!"

* * *

Not my best cliffhanger, but I suppose it'll keep you occupied... for now. I hope you liked this!


	2. Futures and Plans

Dana had a bewildered look in her eyes. "Wh-what? How can it be?" she gasped, her eyes misting up a little bit.

Ash realized the poor girl was about to cry so he approached her holding a small velvet case. He opened it and held it out to her.

Dana looked surprised. She wiped her tears and looked at Ash.

"For doing your best and daring to approach me. Not many people have the guts to battle me because they're too scared they'll lose so badly. After all, I am a Pokemon Master. But you put up a good fight. I didn't expect you to beat Latios anyways." Ash winked at her.

Dana managed a small smile. "Thanks," she whispered as she took the badge and placed it carefully in her badge case.

"Well, maybe I'll see you again sometime!" Ash said brightly.

"I'll have a rematch with you soon, don't expect me to lose when I come back!" Dana replied, her eyes shining.

"Alright, I'll be looking forward to a challenge."

Ash shook hands with Dana and watched as Dana left.

"Why did you do that, Ash?" Tyler asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Look Tyler, the poor girl was about to cry, and you have to admit she put up a good fight."

"True."

Ash glanced at his black G-Shock. 11:30. He waved to Tyler. "Hey Ty, I'll be shutting down the gym for the afternoon so feel free to leave."

Tyler nodded. "Alright Ash, thanks."

Ash walked out and locked the door. "Latios!" he shouted as he clicked the white button on the Ultra Ball in hand.

(Ash!) Latios cried happily, circling Ash.

"Hey Latios, can you take me to the Cerulean Gym?"

(Yeah, sure, no problem!)

As Ash took off into the air, Pikachu poked him.

"Yeah, what's wrong Pikachu?"

(Why didn't you call me out to battle?)

"I'm sorry if you wanted to participate in that battle, but I couldn't risk anything. Misty wants to see you, I'm sure."

(You didn't think I could win? And we're gonna meet Misty? You didn't tell me that!)

"I trust you Pikachu, but you can never underestimate challengers. And yes, we're going to meet Misty right now."

(Alright, you win,) Pikachu sighed, defeated.

Ash smiled as Cerulean City came into view.

"Alright, you can land here Latios," Ash told the legendary pokemon.

"Latios!"

Ash felt himself slowing down and landing next to the Cerulean Gym's doors.

"Return," Ash ordered holding up the yellow and black pokeball. He pushed open the door and was greeted by a smiling Daisy.

"Oh hey . . . uh . . . was it Al?" Daisy asked.

"IT'S ASH!" Misty yelled angrily, pummeling into her blond sister.

"Hey Misty, it's okay . . ." Ash reasoned, trying to calm his girlfriend down.

"Chill sis! I don't spend every minute of my life talking to Ash on the phone and going on dates with him," Daisy scowled, rubbing her head which had hit the ground.

"You wouldn't. You're not his girlfriend. And if you actually did do that, I'd kill you right when I found out," Misty retorted.

Daisy looked helplessly at Ash. "Okay, sure, whatever you say," she told Misty.

Daisy rolled her eyes and gave Ash a goofy grin before pulling away into her room elegantly.

Misty grabbed Ash's arm and pulled him aside. "Come on," she muttered as she dragged him to her room.

Misty's room was what you would expect it to be. Her walls and ceiling were painted different shades of blue and a strip of wallpaper wrapped around the middle of the walls. The design on it was dark blue with bubbles. She had royal blue colored shelves with water pokemon models lined up on them until every single water pokemon was named and her shelves her filled up.

A light blue desk was placed with a Chinchou shaped lamp and a navy blue chair. Her laptop wearing a handmade baby blue laptop cover with a Staryu on the front and a Poliwag on the back was placed on the desk."Heh, water pokemon lover. Never changed, eh?" Ash had teased when he had first saw her room.

Misty flopped down on her bed. "Ugh," she mumbled. "She is SO annoying!"

Ash smirked. "Yeah, but she's prettier that way."

Misty glared at him. "What are you trying to imply?"

Ash put his hands up in surrender. "Nothing. I can't say someone's pretty even if that girl isn't my girlfriend?"

Misty sighed. "Whatever."

"Pika?" Pikachu poked his head out of Ash's backpack.

"Oh, hey there Pikachu!" Misty greeted cheerfully.

Ash smiled and lifted Pikachu out of his bag. He placed him on Misty's lap.

Misty patted Pikachu on the head and stroked his fur. Then she pulled Ash down onto her blue waterbed and kissed his cheek.

"Huh?" Ash looked slightly surprised. She had caught him off guard.

Realizing what had happened, he blushed. He was her girlfriend but he had never kissed her or anything.

"Hey Misty, I'm thinking of placing my house on rent and buying a new house closer to the gym," he said, attempting to distract their minds.

"Really?" Misty sounded interested.

"Yeah, then maybe you could move in with me," Ash suggested.

"That would be awesome!" Misty squealed in delight.

"I saw a house for sale yesterday. It's pretty big and the house owner gave me a special offer. Life is good when you're a famous Pokemon Master," Ash joked.

Misty slapped his back. "Whatever," she snorted.

"The house is really nice. It has four bedrooms; a kitchen; a living room; three bathrooms with two tubs, three showers, and three toilets; a dining room; and laundry room; a garage for three cars; and a basement."

"That's great! How much is it?"

"About $200,000."

"Not bad, I guess," Misty commented with a shrug.

"Dude, I can't wait! I think I'm going to call the house owner tonight to let her know I'll be buying."

"Okay!"

* * *

Another lame cliffhanger, but that will keep you at the edge of your seats... for a while... :) R&R! And I do not own :)


	3. Planning Ahead

Ash called out his Latios as he stood underneath the door frame.

"I enjoyed your company tonight Ash," Misty said softly as she cupped his cheeks in her hands.

"I enjoyed being here with you, Misty," Ash whispered back.

Misty leaned towards him and gave him a passionate kiss before hearing a rather annoying voice.

"Aw, did I break the romantic kiss?" a girl's voice asked with a fake sweetness.

Misty broke away from the kiss and glared furiously at her sister.

"What do _you_ know?" Misty hissed angrily.

A pink haired girl with her hair curled at the bottom had her hands on her hips, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Lily… I swear to God I'm going to kill you someday," Misty muttered under her breath as Lily sauntered away singing, "Oopsies, I broke a romantic 'moment'!"

"She's such a bitch!" Misty screamed once Lily was gone.

"It's okay Misty," Ash said, attempting to calm her down once more.

"No Ash, it's not okay! You're too good-natured to realize she's acting like a piece of shit!" Misty replied harshly. "It's always okay in your world! Snap into the _real_ world where it's not so easy as you think!"

Ash recoiled, obviously hurt.

"I'm sorry Ash . . . I couldn't help it," Misty murmured.

"It's okay Misty, I understand."

He embraced her before climbing onto his Latios and flying off into the distance.

Once he got home, it was 10 o'clock and he decided he would call the house owner the next day.

~The next day~

"Hi, this is Ash Ketchum calling to-"

"_The _Ash Ketchum?" a lady's voice shrieked.

"Yes."

"I'll do anything, you name it! Anything, sir!"

"Uh, you promised me a sold house."

"Oh, right! I remember! Well, I'll give you a little deal. I'll give the house to you for $190,000 instead of $200,000 on one condition."

"What condition is that, ma'am?"

"Please call me Alice."

"Alright, what is that condition Alice?"

"Have a one on one battle with me."

"Why?"

"I haven't had a good pokemon battle in ages! Oh, the youthful days," she said mournfully.

"Alright, you've got yourself a deal," confirmed Ash.

"Wonderful! Could you come over now?" Alice asked.

"Um, sure. Could I bring a friend?"

"Yeah, no problem!" Alice trilled.

Ash grabbed a cup of coffee before heading out with his Latios and the rest of his pokemon. He stopped by the Cerulean Gym, where Misty was frantically trying to get ready.

"What should I wear? Something casual? Or something fancy to impress?" she exclaimed.

"Misty, just wear _something_." Ash facepalmed.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Misty came out wearing a baby yellow hooded shirt with blue jean shorts.

"Took you long enough," Ash muttered as he leaned against the wall.

"I heard that!" Misty growled, holding up a fist.

"Dude, chill Misty, I was just teasing."

Misty turned bright red, tossed her now long and silky orange hair, and frowned.

"Look Ash, if you're not going to take buying a house and having a Pokemon battle seriously, you'll ruin everything!" Misty exclaimed, annoyed.

"Misty, it's probably a sixty year old woman who forgot how to battle anyway!" Ash snorted in disbelief.

"I've heard you say it yourself, you can never underestimate a challenger."

(I have to agree with Misty on this one, you said it on the way here yesterday,) Pikachu said, taking Misty's side.

"You know what, I don't care anymore. Are we going?" Ash dismissed the argument with a wave of his hand.

"Sure."

They climbed onto Latios, who was happily waiting outside.

"Woo!" Misty squealed as Latios rose above the ground and flew a bit fast for her liking. It wasn't like it was her first time riding Latios, but it always gave her the shivers.

A few minutes later, they arrived in Viridian City. A nice looking house, the perfect size, was smack in the middle of the neighborhood. It was just a two minute walk to the Viridian Gym.

Ash knocked on the door. "Hello? It's me, Ash…"

The door flew open. "_The _Ash Ketchum? Oh my goodness, it really is you!" the woman screamed.

"Not this again," Ash mumbled as he was ushered through the door.

"So why are you here?" Alice asked.

"Um, Alice, I'm here to buy the house."

"Oh, right! How do you know my name?"

"Um, you told me your name on the phone just like, thirty minutes ago."

"Oh yeah! Silly me. Well, let's get to the battle, shall we?" Alice cooed.

"At least she remembered _something,_" Ash muttered under his breath as he followed her outside.

"I choose you, Raichu!" Alice commanded.

(Alright, I get to pwn the Pokemon Master!) cried Raichu with a little bit too much confidence.

"Okay, Dragonite, come on out!" Ash countered.

(Hmph. No sweat, it's just a Raichu,) smirked Dragonite with the same over-confidence.

"Alright, I'll go first. Dragonite, Seismic Toss!"

Dragonite gripped Raichu in its claws and began to circle in the air.

"Thunder, Raichu!"

It was too late. Raichu was already crashing to the ground. It got up weakly.

"Dragonite, use Aerial Ace."

(Yay, this is a fun move!) Dragonite exclaimed while slamming into Raichu.

"Raichu, Hyper Beam!"

"You wanna play it that way? Counter with Hyper Beam!"

The two Hyper Beams collided in mid-air, but it was soon revealed Dragonite's had been a tad bit stronger.

"The victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" Misty announced.

"Return, Raichu. Just what I would expect from a Pokemon Master," Alice said softly.

"So?" Ash pressed.

"You get the house for $190,000."

"Alright!"

Alice chuckled. "I enjoyed living in this house, now it's yours. I hope it provides coziness for you and your wife for the years to come."

Wait. _Wife?_ Ash's mind was swirling with thoughts, and when he glanced over at Misty, he also noticed she was pale looking.

Alice also seemed to notice. "What's wrong?"

"Uh . . . how do I put this? She's not my wife." Ash furrowed his brow.

"She isn't? Well, are you planning to marry her?" Alice said, a little bit too enthusiastically.

Ash blushed and looked at his feet. "I don't know yet," he mumbled and then looked up.

"Um, thanks for everything! We'll be going now!" Misty said, rushed.

They hurried out and climbed onto Latios in a hurry.

"Awkward galore!" Misty exclaimed, still slightly pale.

"I know."

"Hey, what do you say we go visit Gary?" Misty suggested.

"Uh, where'd you get that from?"

"We haven't seen him in a while."

"True."

"So, yes or no?"

"Sure, why not?"

They arrived at the lab where Gary was busy sitting at a desk and studying a pokeball. A strange determination was in his eyes.

"Uh, hi Gary." Ash looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh hi Ashy boy! Oh, and you brought your girlfriend with you. Nice to see you, Misty."

"How did you know I was dating Ash?" Misty asked, embarrassed.

"Uh, excuse me, but _everyone _knows. It's on Ash's weekly website and phone App."

"Huh?" Misty was clearly confused.

"Ash has a website and a mobile App that tells all the gossip about him and stuff. He wrote, 'Got the best girlfriend ever. Misty Waterflower, Cerulean City Gym Leader. Can't ask for any better.'"

Misty turned bright red. "Ash, did you . . ."

"Yep."

"Urgh."

Gary smirked. "So how are you all doing?" he asked, turning from his studying.

"Fine, what's that you're studying?" Ash asked. He was curious.

"GS Ball."

"You mean the pokeball that I brought to Kurt?" Ash exclaimed, his eyes glittering with memories.

"Yeah."

"Awesome!"

"Well, he's long gone now, so I'm studying it. Gramps retired, so I am now the official Professor Oak."

"Wow, and at only at age 21!" Misty observed respectfully.

Gary smiled and got up. He opened the mini fridge and took out three cans of beer. "You guys want some?"

"Sure, why not?" was Ash's response.

"I guess . . ." Misty had replied unsurely.

"Misty, you're 22. You're _supposed _to drink," Gary pointed out.

"True," Misty giggled and popped open the can. She took a sip and cringed. "Uhh . . ."

"You get used to it," Gary said simply before taking a gulp of his.

They sat on the couch, their cans of beer on the glass table in front of them. They chatted for thirty minutes.

"Excuse me, but I've got some catching up to do, I believe," Ash stated as he opened the door leading to the stored Pokemon outside.

* * *

Thank you for your reviews! Especially momo-x-11 and Spiral Breeze. You guys helped improve my story, which I appreciate. Thank you! You also motivated me to keep writing, the reviews keep me going. Thanks again, and stay tuned! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, I _do _happen to own the writing and the storyline, though.


	4. Catching Up

Ash stepped out into the open. Several Pokemon was bunched in groups, happily chatting or doing a sort of activity. A lake was taken over by many water pokemon. A field of grass was inhabited by grass and bug pokemon.

Ash had barely enough time to admire the scene when a herd of Tauros came charging towards him.

"Easy guys! I missed you too," said Ash laughing. He was knocked over onto his butt.

The reply to him was a snort.

Ash got up and walked around greeting his Pokemon that he had not seen for some time.

"Heh . . ."

"Hey Gary, do you want to go out for dinner?" Ash offered. "My treat."

Gary looked thoughtful. "Well, why not? I suppose so."

Ash smiled. "I know where we can go. It's in Pewter City, we should bring Brock too!" Ash said cheerfully.

"Your playfulness and cheerfulness reminds me of a girl." Gary smirked.

"What exactly are you implying?" Ash challenged.

"Ash, isn't it obvious?" Misty giggled. Then she widened her eyes. "Wait, I'm going to change before going! Thank god I left some clothes at your house!" Misty squealed and dashed off.

"Apparently not," Gary shrugged. A silence overcame the room, which was broken a minute later by a distracted Ash.

"I hate you guys," Ash muttered under his breath.

"I heard that," Misty teased, strutting into the room in a white dress with tank top sleeves and a silver bow tied around her waist. A pearl necklace and bracelet and dangly diamond earrings topped her outfit off.

"Why, I apologize dearly, milady," Ash said in a fake British accent.

Misty glared at him, but couldn't hold in her laughter. She burst into a fit of giggles.

"Hey, are we going or not?" Gary asked.

"Yes." Ash frowned.

Ash called out his Latios and his Dragonite. "You'll be using Dragonite," stated Ash.

"Sure." Gary lit a cigarette. After taking a puff, he offered it to Ash.

"No thanks, I quit a while ago," Ash replied politely.

"Wise choice," Gary commented. "Too bad for me I can't stop. Damn these things, I feel like I want more every day."

Misty climbed onto Latios and took off with Ash. Gary and Dragonite quickly followed.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the gym.

Ash knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Ash opened the door to face what seemed to be a younger version of Brock. Clearly, the boy was surprised.

"Hey Mr. Pokemon Master!" the boy exclaimed.

"Hey Forrest! Where's Brock?" Ash greeted.

Brock barged out of a door to look at Ash. "Hey, you need something Ash?"

"Hi Brock-o! Misty and I were planning on –"

"And me," Gary interrupted, bursting through the gate entrance.

"And Gary," Ash murmured. "Well, we were going to go out for dinner, and the place is right here in Pewter City. We were wondering if you wanted to come," Ash explained.

"Okay, sure," Brock said, accepting the offer gratefully.

Ash recalled Latios and Dragonite and went outside again. Brock was following him.

"Hi Brock!"Misty called from outside.

"Hey Misty!" Brock said coolly.

The four started walking with Ash in the lead. Five minutes later, they approached a large building with _Pokemon in Pewter_ in neon letters. A line of about seventy people stretched from the inside to out.

"Wow." Gary looked shocked. "I'm hungry though. I can't wait this long."

As if on cue, a woman wearing a navy blue collared shirt and gray khakis came outside. She stared at the group, but focused her eyes on Ash. A moment later she ran inside.

Two women dashed outside. One was the lady who ran outside and in just earlier, and the other was a different lady. She wore a tight purple sleeveless with a fat lavender ribbon tied around her waist. It showed her body perfectly. To go with it, she wore a long puffy gray skirt that reached her ankles.

_The skirt reminds me of Bianca's,_ Ash thought as they approached him.

"Are you Ash Ketchum, the Pokemon Master?" asked the lady in the blue.

"Are you kidding? Of course it is!" The lady in purple widened her eyes and stood, frozen before coming to her senses five seconds later.

"We are honored to have you come to Pokemon in Pewter Restaurant," the purple lady said, her head lowered into a small polite bow. "My name is Kristen and I am the owner of this restaurant."

"I'm Jacqueline, and I'll be your waitress for tonight," the lady in blue said. "Follow me to your table."

She led them through the crowded diner and into a short hallway. To the right was a door marked VIP that she pushed open, revealing a beautiful room. Posters on the wall made it more home-like, and a round table covered in a white tablecloth was placed in the center of the room. Chairs surrounded the table and a turning platform was in the center for the food.

"Wow, this is nice!" Misty complimented, her eyes glittering.

"We are pleased to have you tonight. Professor Oak the 2nd, the gym leader of Pewter City, the Pokemon Master, and the gym leader of Cerulean City are all here tonight. What made you choose this restaurant?" Jacqueline asked.

"Oh, I remembered once when my mother brought me here when I was a kid. I enjoyed the food," Ash replied.

"Who is your mother?" Jacqueline pressed on.

"Delia Ketchum," Brock answered, barging in. "And you are quite beautiful, you know?"

"Delia, oh, I remember her. She was my childhood friend," Jacqueline murmured. Her eyes seemed to be distracted, as if memories were coming back to her.

Brock realized he was being ignored, so he kept talking. "I believe it was fate that brought us together today. You, a lovely lady of Pewter City and me, Brock, the gym leader of Pewter City. It must have been all Cupid's work. So let us bond together today and live together forever as love –"

Brock stopped talking as Croagunk popped out of his pokeball and poison jabbed him in the side.

"Urgh, perhaps . . . our love . . . might not be as perfect . . . as I thought . . ." Brock stuttered as the jab paralyzed him throughout.

"I'm sorry about that," Ash said, embarrassed. "He has a little bit of a . . . mental issue."

"No problem. What would you like to eat today? Appetizers?" Jacqueline asked.

"Anything you recommend?" Gary responded promptly.

"Well, the Onix gyoza are pretty good," said Jacqueline tentatively.

"Sure, we'll get two plates of that," Misty approved.

"And for your entrees?" Jacqueline said, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Again, what do you recommend?" Gary asked.

A rush of confidence seemed to overtake Jacqueline. "The Dodrio nuggets are quite good. And the steamed Stunfisk. Also, the Ground and Rock soup is delicious."

"Alright, three plates of Dodrio nuggets, two plates of steamed Stunfisk, and two bowls of the soup. Also, Delia seemed to enjoy the stir fried Torterra greens, could we have some of those? Just two plates," Ash said with a nod.

"Alright. And for your drinks?"

"I'll take a beer," Gary decided.

"Ice water for me please." Misty's eyes sparkled happily.

"Iced tea," selected Ash. "And I know Brock will take a Coke," Ash added, speaking for Brock who was still rather stunned.

"We'll order desserts later," Misty piped up.

The waitress ran over the list just to confirm and then disappeared. A friendly conversation passed between the friends.

Ash's stomach growled.

"Someone's hungry," Misty joked.

"Whatever," Ash snorted.

Jacqueline returned with a tray of drinks. She set each drink on the table before leaving.

Ten minutes later, Jacqueline came holding two plates of little gyozas. They were all shaped like Onix, with the ripples of the gyoza as the body and a head and tail formed specially with the dough.

Ash lunged for one and gobbled it up. "Mm," he commented with his mouth full.

"Manners, Ash," Brock reminded gently, coming back to his senses.

"Sorry, he's hungry," Gary apologized to Jacqueline.

"No problem!" Jacqueline laughed, excusing Ash's poor manners.

Another ten minutes later, Jacqueline returned holding two plates of steamed Stunfisk, three plates of fried chicken shaped like Dodrio, and two bowls of soup.

"Cool!" Brock exclaimed, glancing at the soup. It was a light brown, with eggs and fish balls died and precisely cut to look like mini rocks.

"The steamed fish looks good," Gary stated.

"The Dodrio nuggets are so cute!" cooed Misty.

"They all look good to me," Ash said, his stomach growling once more.

They all burst into laughter.

After they all stuffed themselves full, they all knew they had some room left for dessert.

When Jacqueline came to pick up their trays, Ash spoke up. "I'd like to order the Phanpy mini cakes and the Machamp fondue."

Jacqueline nodded. "Sure." A while later, she was back again.

"Oh, the fondue looks so good!" Misty gasped. A large sculpture of Machamp was placed on the table. His two top fists were carved into bowls, filled to the brim with melted cheese. His two lower fists were carved into bowls as well, one filled with melted milk chocolate and the other with white chocolate.

Even the head if the sculpture was scooped out to make room for a variety of "dippers". Strawberries, mangoes, bananas, apples, bread, broccoli, carrots, and cherries were arranged nicely inside the bowl.

A plate of four mini cakes was also placed on the table. It was like taiyaki, the Japanese cake with filling. They were shaped like Phanpy.

The gang had fun dipping their fruits and other "dippers" inside the cheese and chocolate. They gobbled up the cakes in no time, especially Ash who still had a lot of room left to eat.

Thirty minutes later, they finished their meal and were all stuffed until they couldn't eat anymore.

"That was the best meal I've had in a long time," Gary laughed heartily.

"Delicious," Brock agreed.

Jacqueline came in. "I hope you enjoyed your meal, come back soon!" she exclaimed, standing by the door.

Ash cleared his throat. "Ahem."

"Yes, Sir Pokemon Master?" Jacqueline asked.

"Bill?"

"Oh, no, compliments of Pokemon in Pewter."

"Delia wouldn't approve," Ash argued, shaking his head.

Jacqueline stopped at the mention of Delia. "Alright," she murmured, defeated. She left the room and then walked in again slowly holding a receipt.

Ash took the receipt. It read $200. He placed his credit card on the paper and removed the four fortune cookies on the black tray. He passed them around before handing the bill to Jacqueline. Jacqueline went out again to punch in the payment with Ash's credit card. One minute after, she was back. She returned the credit card.

Ash thanked her and cracked open his fortune cookie.

_An event will happen that will change your life in the near future._

Misty furrowed her eyebrows at her fortune. She read it aloud. "An event will happen that will change your life in the near future."

Ash looked stunned. "That's the same thing I got," he gaped.

"Interesting." Gary looked slightly confused.

"I think she did that on purpose," Brock said quietly.

"Whatever, let's go," Ash volunteered, changing the subject.

Gary, Misty, and Ash accompanied Brock to the gym before parting ways with him. Next they flew to Cerulean City, where Misty decided she would stay at Ash's house for the time until they got the house. She grabbed a bag which she packed with clothes and other necessary items for a week's stay. Finally, they landed at the laboratory where Gary got off.

"Thanks for the meal, Ashy boy. It was damn good," Gary called as the two disappeared into Ash's house.

Ash and Misty went into the house where they got ready for bed. Misty and Ash snuggled into Ash's twin bed and packed tight for the cold night.

* * *

Thanks again! Reviews are the fuel to my fire. Disclaimer: I do not own! Wow, this is the longest chapter I  
have EVER written.


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